The People of Diepsloot by: Jarreth Bidonne

I am seventeen and a junior at Capital Prep Harbor. My favorite memory is when I was awarded with the clarinet for my car work during a summer music camp. I love to play jazz music on my clarinet, the trumpet, and the piano. I find music relaxing and fun. My goal is to become a world-renown musician.

Jarreth Bidonne

July 14, 2017Today I visited three families in Diepsloot and all of them were in need of some kind of help. Whether they needed food parcels or a stove for their kitchen. In Diepsloot, there were some roads and sidewalks, however there was a lot more of dirt and debris within the township. There was one family that we visited today and she lived with her sister and grandchildren. When we toured her house she did have some nice things that would be typically seen in an American household yet, she was still struggling. It took her years to save up the money to expand the house to how it is today. Also, her kitchen did not have any tiles or wood, it was just cement. The sink for the kitchen was just a bowl and there was not any counters within the kitchen. Therefore, she is still in need of home supplies. All of the grannies that we visited today came to Joberg from other places to search for a job because Joberg is filled with opportunities. Yet, since Johannesburg is very populated, new settlers found it difficult to find places to leave so they were forced to rent out small shafts for their families and so they can still work in Joberg. One of the grannies had to retire from being a domestic worker because once you reach sixty, you have to retire from that job. Due to this, the granny stays at home for most of the time because there is not a significant source of money to allow her to travel to places. From my visit to Diepsloot I meet with the families, got to know their stories of how they got to Johannesburg, and as well as what they need to make their lives better.

Jarreth Bidonne

July 15, 2017

Our SDGs for today were: zero hunger, good health and well being. At the first family that I visited, the gogo and her husband were struggling to get food. They would receive food parcels from the government every two weeks however, they were struggling to manage the food because it was not enough food. This connects with SDG #2: zero hunger because it is the opposite of the goal. If we are able to give food to the gogo and her husband it will significantly help them get through until the next food parcel from the government. The husband’s name was Michael and he had surgery on his hip. He uses crutches and uses medication to relieve the pain, yet he complains that the medication does not work all the time. This situation relates to SDG #3: good health and well being, if we can get Michael better and stronger medication it can help him with his hip.

Jarreth Bidonne

July 17, 2017

Today, our SDG was gender inequality. During our visit to Diepsloot we talked to the gogos about gender inequality, specifically towards females. We discussed about how females do not have the same educational opportunities as males and how gender inequality can lead to poverty. All of the Gogo’s wanted the the girls in their families to stay in school and to be able to obtain better jobs than they had when there were young. They talked about the violence that is perpetrated against girls in Deipsloot too. Lastly, we also talked about the apartheid a bit, in terms of how the laws were harsh against Black people back then and how it is more fair and lenient today. Jarreth Bidonne

July 18, 2017

Today is Mandela Day. Nelson Mandela served Africa for 67 years and on Mandela Day, we celebrate him by taking 67 minutes of our day to serve the community. Today, I helped paint a mural at the daycare as well as taking care of the children at the daycare. Today, we also took part in a soccer event based on Nelson Mandela. At the event we saw former and current soccer players. They discussed about how important education is if a kid want to have a successful future. They also talked about pushing yourself to be the best version you can be.

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Author: journeyforchangesite

Journey for Change 4 is collaborating with Steve Perry's Capital Prep school in an exciting global service program. Students from 6th grade to 11th have traveled from New York to South Africa for the experience of a lifetime. While the kids get to take leadership courses and enjoy the country sites, they also are doing volunteer work within the impoverished area of Diepsloot.
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